Category: Veneration of Joseph Smith
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Statue of Joseph Smith Joins 54 Other “Messiahs of Peace” at India’s World Peace Dome
In Pune, India stands the World Peace Dome, the “world’s largest dome” described as “an epitome of architectural magnificence.” Beneath the dome is the World Peace Prayer Hall, where up to 3,000 people may gather for “meditation and introspection” while surrounded by “the statues of the world’s greatest philosophers and scientists,” called “Messiahs of Peace.”…
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Is Joseph Smith Your Prophet?
January 2021 saw the launch of a new global youth-based magazine published by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For the Strength of Youth is aimed at young members of the church, ages 11-18. One aspect of the publication is to “provide additional content that complements the church-supported, home-centered teachings of ‘Come, Follow…
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For Mormons, Christmastime Is for Honoring Jesus – and Joseph Smith
17 December 2020 ‘Tis the season. Christmastime is here, the holiday celebrated all around the world by Christians and non-Christians alike. The December issue of Ensign, the official magazine of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, celebrates the Christmas season with a few holiday-related items. One is a reproduction of the oil painting,…
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The Season for Safeguarding Joseph Smith’s Honor
19 December 2018 In approaching Christmas, Christians focus on Jesus Christ as we commemorate His birth. We celebrate God’s merciful Gift: “Today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David” (Luke 2:11). As summarized at GotQuestions.org, “We celebrate Christmas because… Jesus is the Savior who delivers us from sin…
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Paying Allegiance to Joseph Smith
The dictionary defines “allegiance” as “loyalty or commitment of a subordinate to a superior or of an individual to a group or cause.” Mormons are often quick to deny that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worship their founder, Joseph Smith. Technically, this is true if the definition of worship is…
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Joseph Smith’s Remarks on Happiness
The Mormon Church talks a lot about happiness. For example, the Church calls its restored gospel “The Plan of Happiness.” LDS leaders have taught that “the very purpose of our lives can be defined in terms of happiness,” and “the things of the earth were created for our happiness.” In the October 2008 General Conference,…
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Joseph Smith Is Needed if the Atonement To Be “Fully Efficacious”
Note: The following was originally printed in the May/June 2017 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here. In the first volume of Doctrines of Salvation, tenth Mormon President Joseph Fielding Smith made it very clear that there is “no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith” (1:188). While some might think that Mormonism has matured…
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An Alarming Misunderstanding of Joseph Smith’s Significance to Christianity
An article appeared online this week with a title that grabbed my attention. In “The Alarming Truth Behind Anti-Mormonism,” LDS author Dustin Phelps tells his readers, “I intend to expose what anti-Mormonism is and what its objectives really are.” What follows is a lengthy argument against Atheism; it’s the way Mr. Phelps ties Atheism…
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“Because Joseph Smith was a prophet…”
Mormonism was in the news a lot last weekend. Saturday and Sunday were the days of the LDS Church’s October General Conference. During the Church’s semiannual conferences, leaders of the Church are understood to encourage, challenge, and educate Mormons with inspired spiritual talks. Last Saturday morning the talk by Craig C. Christensen (of the…
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Mormonism’s “Near Deification” of Joseph Smith
Mormon blogger Mette Ivie Harrison posted an intriguing article on August 23rd at Huffington Post. She titled it, “Do Mormons Worship Joseph Smith?” In the article Ms. Harrison expressed her dismay that some non-Mormons might misunderstand the way modern Mormons feel about the faith’s first prophet and wrongly conclude that Mormons worship Joseph Smith. Latter-day…
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Praise to the Man: Joseph Smith
The September issue of the Ensign magazine includes an article celebrating the 30th “birthday” of the LDS hymnbook, Hymns (74-75). Even though the Ensign clearly states “there are no plans at this time for a new edition,” rumors are circulating to the contrary. Why the Mormon community would think a new edition is in the…
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The Danger of Mormon Idolatry
In October (2014) Mormon blogger Jana Riess wrote about the “shadow side” of Mormonism: the “tendency to idolize – as in actually make idols of – the men who run our church. An idol is anything we use as a substitute for God,” Dr. Riess wrote, “and I feel that sometimes, we cross that line…
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10 Reasons Why Joseph Smith Should Not Be Considered a True Prophet of God
10 reasons why Joseph Smith should not be considered a true prophet of God1. He was not considered to be trustworthy by the people of his day.2. He taught in a version of God different from the Bible.3. He produced prophecies that didn’t come to pass.
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The Salvific Role of Joseph Smith
The Salvific Role of Joseph Smith By Bill McKeever The following was originally printed in the Nov-Dec 2012 edition of Mormonism Researched. To request a free subscription, please visit here.
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True Mormonism
On September 24th Mormon Apostle D. Todd Christofferson spoke to students at BYU-Idaho during the school’s weekly devotional. About halfway through his talk, “The Prophet Joseph Smith,” Mr. Christofferson explained, “Joseph Smith’s prophetic calling is key to our religion. Without his commission from the Father and the Son, without his priesthood ordinations and the keys…
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Joseph Smith Jr. Index
PropheciesCivil War predictionRocky Mountain prophecyPrediction of Second ComingDoes the Bible contain Prophecies of Joseph Smith?Joseph the ManNEW!
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Joseph Smith did more than any man who has ever lived…
I understand that Mormons respect and revere Joseph Smith. I get that. I really do. Yet sometimes the way he’s talked about, even in an official sense, seems a bit over the top. In the February 2009 Ensign magazine former Seventy F. Burton Howard wrote, “If Joseph saw what he claimed to have seen, and…
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Movie Review: Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration
Reviewed by Bill McKeever Despite the fact that Article 13 in the LDS Articles of Faith states that Mormons are to be honest, the LDS Church refuses to be completely truthful when it comes to its history, especially when the subject is Joseph Smith. As part of its celebration of the 200th anniversary of the…
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Is J.R.R. Tolkien Also Among the Prophets?
By Bill McKeever Among the many “proofs” Mormons like to use to authenticate the Book of Mormon is to point out that Joseph Smith was far too young to dream up the theme found in the Book of Mormon. They also point out that this book contains many unique words and that Joseph Smith could…
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Is It Fair to Compare Joseph Smith with the Prophet Jonah?
By Eric Johnson We at Mormonism Research Ministry and other like-minded groups have adamantly maintained that Joseph Smith was a false prophet based on his prophecies which did not take place as he said they would. One common LDS response which we have repeatedly hear is: “If Joseph Smith was a false prophet, then the…
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